The 2016 NBA Draft is turning out to be one of the better in recent memory.
The draft started strong with Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram and Jaylen Brown. There were a number of misses in the rest of the lottery, but several teams struck gold with their selections later in the draft.
To name a few: Toronto getting Pascal Siakam at No. 27, San Antonio grabbing Dejounte Murray at No. 29 and Milwaukee drafting Malcolm Brogdon at No. 36. Oh, and Fred VanVleet, Gary Payton II and Alex Caruso went undrafted.
Six years later, most of the players in the 2016 NBA Draft are entering their prime, which makes it an interesting time to revisit the top picks with a good old-fashioned redraft. Up to the task are TSN’s Kyle Irving and Scott Rafferty, who alternated picks and made their selections based on who they think most deserves to go in the spot rather than what the team needs most.
Got it? Great. Let’s get to it.
MORE: Yes, Ben Simmons is now the NBA’s most underrated player
Redrafting the 2016 NBA Draft
1. Jaylen Brown, 76ers
Original pick: Ben Simmons
If the 76ers were to take a do-over with this pick, I’d have a hard time believing they would go with anyone other than Brown. As great as Ingram, Siakam and Simmons have been, Brown just has the “it” factor you’re looking for in a No. 1 pick.
The Celtics were originally criticized for taking Brown third overall. He was seen as a limited offensive player with a lot of improvement to be made before living up to a top-three selection. He has done nothing but grow as a player over his six seasons in the NBA, turning into one of the best two-way wings in the league.
Brown has already been to four Eastern Conference Finals and, most recently, one NBA Finals. He has averaged 24.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game over his last two seasons, developing a lethal pull-up jumper to go with his explosive athleticism.
Factor in what a potential Brown and Joel Embiid pairing could look like, and I’m not sure you’d find a better suitor alongside the Sixers’ All-Star center and franchise player.
— Kyle Irving (@KyleIrv_)
2. Brandon Ingram, Lakers
Original pick: Brandon Ingram
I don’t think you can go wrong with Ingram, Siakam or Simmons here. Siakam was the second-best player on a championship team and now has two All-NBA selections. While flawed, Simmons is a perennial All-Star and one of the best defenders in the NBA.
Ultimately, I went with Ingram because I think he still has the most potential of the three. Already a one-time All-Star, Ingram has made real strides as a scorer and playmaker over the last couple of seasons, all of which came together in the Pelicans’ first-round matchup with the Suns in the 2022 NBA Playoffs when he posted 27.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game.
If Ingram, 25, builds on that, he could easily end up being the best player in this draft class.
— Scott Rafferty (@crabdribbles)
3. Pascal Siakam, Celtics
Original pick: Jaylen Brown
Arguably the most accomplished player of this draft so far, Siakam was a no-brainer at No. 3 for me. Scott already mentioned he was the second-best player on a championship team, and his two All-NBA selections are the most in this class.
Coming off of the best season of his career, Siakam averaged 22.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists en route to an All-NBA Third Team selection last season. To go from relatively unknown — selected with the No. 27 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft — to one of the best players in the NBA, Siakam has been an unlikely success story.
You could make an argument that he is one of the most improved players in the entire league since being drafted, with MVPs like Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo also coming to mind.
— Irving
4. Ben Simmons, Suns
Original pick: Dragan Bender
Sure, Simmons hasn’t developed like everyone hoped he would, but he’s still a monstrous defender, a big-time scorer in the paint and an elite passer. As I said above, I gave him real consideration at No. 2. I don’t think Simmons should fall any lower than this.
— Rafferty
5. Jamal Murray, Timberwolves
Original pick: Kris Dunn
Don’t let Murray’s year of ACL rehab in 2021-22 let you forget just how prolific the scoring guard is. The 25-year-old is one of the most talented young players in the league.
His 2019-20 playoff run was as impressive as it gets, scoring 142 points (!) over three games to help the Nuggets get past the Jazz in the first round. His two 50-point games and two 40-point games during that postseason are all you need to know about his ability to take over a contest or series.
Murray will be quick to remind everyone just how electrifying he can be when he gets back on the court in 2022-23.
— Irving
6. Domantas Sabonis, Pelicans
Original pick: Buddy Hield
The 2016 NBA Draft has produced seven All-Stars, two of which have earned multiple selections.
The first: Simmons. The second? Sabonis.
Few players have undergone as dramatic of a transformation since entering the NBA as Sabonis. Once an inefficient stretch four, the Lithuanian is now a bruising center who has been good for 19.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per game over the last three seasons. He even shares some of the same vision as his father, making him one of the best passers at his position.
There’s no question Sabonis is among the most gifted offensive players in this class, but his defensive limitations hold him back from cracking the top five in our redraft.
— Rafferty
7. Dejounte Murray, Nuggets
Original pick: Jamal Murray
Murray falling to No. 7 kind of feels like a steal. The 25-year-old had to overcome an ACL injury after earning an All-Defensive Team selection as a sophomore in the NBA, but he has bounced back in a big way.
Murray has emerged as one of the best perimeter-defending guards in the league, and his offensive game has come along nicely. He recorded career-highs of 21.1 points, 9.2 assists, 8.3 rebounds and a league-leading 2.0 steals per game last year, making him the first player to ever average those numbers in a single season.
For perspective, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson are the only players to ever reach the 20-8-8-2 threshold in a single season. You know you’re doing something right when you’re in the same sentence as those legends.
— Irving
8. Fred VanVleet, Kings
Original pick: Marquese Chriss
VanVleet didn’t hear his name called at all in this draft. Crazy, right? He barely played in his rookie season with the Raptors, but he quickly went from one of the best sixth men in the league to an All-Star on the strength of his 3-point shooting and pesky defense. Undrafted to lottery pick is quite the jump.
— Rafferty
9. Buddy Hield, Raptors
Original pick: Jakob Poeltl
Hield has turned into one of the best 3-point specialists in the NBA, averaging 3.0 3s per game on 39.8 percent shooting over his six-year career so far. He was the fastest player in NBA history to make 1,000 3-pointers, and no player in the league has more 3s made over the last four seasons than Hield.
— Irving
10. Malcolm Brogdon, Bucks
Original pick: Thon Maker
Brogdon appeared in 75 games in his rookie season. Since then, he’s played over 60 games only once. The injury concerns are real, but he has proven to be a steady point guard when healthy, peaking in 2020-21 when he averaged a career-best 21.2 points per game to go along with 5.9 assists and 5.3 rebounds.
— Rafferty
11. Caris LeVert, Magic
Original pick: Domantas Sabonis
Injuries have derailed LeVert’s career trajectory a bit, only playing 50 or more games in a season three times over his six years in the league. But when the 28-year-old is healthy, he’s proved he can be a strong playmaking scorer, averaging 14.6 points and 4.0 assists per game.
If LeVert can stay healthy, he could make a run at Sixth Man of the Year for the new-look Cavaliers this upcoming season.
— Irving
12. Alex Caruso, Jazz
Original pick: Taurean Prince
Caruso’s numbers don’t jump off the page, but he’s an elite perimeter defender.
This video tells you all you need to know:
Two minutes of Alex Caruso putting on the clamps when guys tried to take him one-on-one last year: pic.twitter.com/oLTXVq4tRo
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) August 22, 2022
— Rafferty
13. Jakob Poeltl, Suns
Original pick: Georgios Papagiannis
Poeltl isn’t a flashy pick, but he has developed into one of the best rim protectors in the NBA. The only players with more blocks than Poeltl over the last two seasons are Rudy Gobert and Myles Turner. That’s pretty decent company, if you ask me.
— Irving
14. Dorian Finney-Smith, Bulls
Original pick: Denzel Valentine
Another star in his role, Finney-Smith had a career year in 2021-22 that saw him can 39.5 percent of his 3-point attempts and earn some All-Defensive votes.
— Rafferty
Best players still available: Ivica Zubac, Malik Beasley, Gary Payton II, Taurean Prince
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